The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on Saturday announced the arrest of about 25 persons throughout the country for extortion and illegally selling registration materials to the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, candidates.
The culprits, according to the Registrar/Chief Executive of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, were apprehended by a combined team of its Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU, members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the Nigeria Police Force, following a tip-off.
He said that the e-Brochure and e-Syllabus which were meant to be free were being sold by the culprits as high as N800 each nationwide, while at the same time also extorting money and inflating cost of registration from candidates.
Among the registration materials being sold by them include copies of the UTME e-Brochure and e-Syllabus.
Speaking with journalists in his office in Bwari, Abuja, shortly after the arrests, Mr. Oloyede, a professor, said the people that were caught were those who were on illegal pilgrimage.
He said, “Our quality assurance unit, particularly the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit had to go out to see what is happening, following reports of extortion. We were having reports that candidates are paying more than the N5,500 that is required. The perpetrators have been cautioned and are presently under surveillance. For many of them that have been caught, I don’t think they will want to be caught for the second time in the future after serving the severe punishments awaiting them.
“We keep on telling people that they are to pay just N5,500, which is N5,000 to JAMB and N500 for the book (e-Brochure and e-Syllabus) and that is all. But for the centre where they register, the owner of the centres will get a maximum of N700. We have arrested about 25 persons, all over the country. They are those who are doing what they are not supposed to do, by charging the candidates higher than expected. They will not escape justice, they will appear in Court.”
According to him, JAMB has not asked anybody to pay extra money or asked anybody to go to any business centre for the creation of profile.
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